MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Virginia -- The Great Depression is arguably one of the most devastating and traumatic catastrophes in American history. At the peak of the depression between 1932 and 1933 millions of Americans were unemployed, famished and struggling to survive. But, an optimistic President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped turn a tragedy into a triumph when he created the Recreational Demonstration Area in 1933. The RDA program salvaged old land that would be turned in camps to help ease anguish that was caused by the Great Depression. The camps would provide an escape from everyday life for under-privileged, low-income youth, mothers and toddlers.
The camps were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and helped reduce unemployment by putting people to work and teaching job skills. During this time more than 2,000 people worked along the Chopawamsic and Quantico creeks and built the Chopawamsic RDA, known today as Prince William Forest Park. Using the Chopawamsic RDA as a replica, Roosevelt’s RDA program helped open 46 RDA projects across the nation.
“The original intent was to build this cabin camp for underprivileged youth in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore area. The children would come here eat three square meals a day, see a doctor twice a day, play and do crafts” said Stephanie Pooler, park ranger and volunteer coordinator for Prince William Forest Park. “When they were here, they could mingle with other kids and not worry about where their next meal would come or where they would take a bath. Here they learned cleanliness and hygiene and how to take care of themselves.”
Today those same cabin camps used by under-privileged, low-income youth in the 1930s and 1940s remain intact, and are used by visitors who camp in the forest year ‘round.
Prince William Forest Park span 15,000 acres and offers visitors 37 miles of hiking trails, 21 miles of biking trails, various running trails, four camp grounds and five cabin camps that were built as part of Roosevelt’s RDA program. The cabin camps can lodge anywhere from 60 to 200 people, depending on the campsite.
“The visitor center is a great place to start. We have maps here to help guide you,” said Pooler. “But, for those who are intermediate to advanced hikers, we can set up hikes from three miles all the way up to 18 miles, without covering the area twice.”
The visitor center also provides information on the history of the park, exhibits of various types of wildlife found in the park and more.
“This is quiet and great place for a ride, a run or to camp,” Pooler said.
Prince William Forest Park welcomes more than 250,000 visitors each year. The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Active duty personnel and their family members can obtain a free annual pass to any national park and or federal recreational land in the United States that charges an entry fee when a military identification card is presented. For those who do not have a military identification card, the cost is $5.00 per single passenger vehicle that has less than 14 passengers, $3.00 per person who walks in or is riding a bike or motorcycle and $20.00 for annual pass. For information on the history of Prince William Park visit, http://www.nps.gov.